Chapter 1

Three years after our wedding ceremony, my darling, a pilot, canceled our marriage registration 18 times.

The first time, her male apprentice was doing a test flight. I waited at the door of the registry office for an entire day.

The second time, she received a call from her male apprentice on the way and abruptly turned back, leaving me on the roadside.

After that, whenever we made plans to register our marriage, her male apprentice would have all sorts of problems.

Later, I decided to leave her.

But when I boarded the plane to Paris, she chased after me to Paris like a madwoman.

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After three years of marriage, Meadow still hasn't officially tied the knot with me.

Today marks her milestone thousandth successful flight, as well as her seventeenth promise to go get our marriage license together.

Yet at the celebration banquet, while I was being plied with drinks by her direct supervisor, she was busy feeding her male pilot trainee and exchanging drinks with him.

I endured a high fever, drinking to the point of near fainting, but she didn't even spare me a glance.

Many of our company colleagues sighed and clicked their tongues, their eyes full of pity when they looked at me.

Anyone with eyes could see who I was pushing through my discomfort and drinking for.

But after the banquet ended, Meadow, who was supposed to go to the registry office with me, stood me up yet again.

She drove the car to the restaurant entrance and held out a hand to stop me from get in.

"Eames drank too much on my behalf earlier. I'm going to take him home. You should grab a cab."

"We probably won't make it to get the marriage license this afternoon. Let's talk about it another day."

After saying this, she didn't even bother to wait for my reaction. She hurriedly got out of the car and carefully helped Eames into the passenger seat.

Eight years of dating, three years of marriage, and this is the 17th time Meadow has postponed getting our marriage license because of Eames. In the past, at times like this, I would have likely exploded in rage, shouting and arguing with her, demanding to know: who exactly was her husband, and who had just been covering for her, drinking on her behalf?

But this time, I just smiled faintly and said, "Alright, you two be careful on the road."

Meadow was taken aback, a bit surprised by my calm demeanor today. But after a moment, she regained her cold composure and said, "I'll buy you a gift to make up for it when I come back tonight."

With that, she drove off, making sure to roll up the window for her male apprentice before leaving, as she worried the drunken man might catch a chill from the wind.

In the past, she never allowed the smell of alcohol to linger in her car.

Every time I drank for her, even in the dead of winter, she'd open the convertible top, let alone just rolling up a window.

Looking back now, I realize it was simply because the person in the car was me.

The midday sun in Los Angeles was scorching, making everyone sweat profusely, but my heart felt inexplicably cold.

I took a deep breath and put the material needed for marriage registration back in my bag.

I knew it was time to let go of these eight years of feelings as well.